futurebird wrote:I might need to try that. To think if only whoever slip-glued the spout on had just taken one moment to smooth the hole... lol thy were probably working so fast no one cared.

The pot can take the rigor of grinding. It is quite resistant! If you do it, please share the outcome. In this case, the widening of the lid hole seemed to have the biggest effect (even though the interior spout widening help quite a bit.)

I reloaded the pot again and am having another round of yancha "espresso!"

Qing Hui Ni clay comes from the Fudong township of Yixing in Jiangsu province. This clay comes from an older mine that was mined out in the 1980's, clay is kept and sold by the township itself to raise funds. This is a porous clay of exquisite quality with a high degree of crystallization. It brews tea that is soft, smooth, andgreat tasting. Over time brewing tea gives the teapot a highly pleasing bright and shiny patina! The clay is highly porous and will build character as it ages.